Shopping · Fes · Morocco
Shopping in Fes
Shopping streets, markets and souvenirs worth the suitcase space.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Quick answer
Fes is Morocco's great craft city, best for leather, ceramics, brass and copper, textiles and zellij, made in workshops you can often visit. Best souvenirs: Fes blue pottery, Leather goods and Brass and copper.
Key facts
- Shopping areas
- 4
- Markets
- 3
- Top souvenir
- Fes blue pottery
Where to shop
Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira
The medina's main streets for leather goods, babouches, lanterns and souvenirs.
Around the Chouara tannery
Leather shops for bags, jackets and poufs.
Place Seffarine
Hand-hammered copper pots, trays and cauldrons.
Ain Nokbi
Pottery and zellij workshops selling direct.
Markets
Souk el-Attarine
The spice and perfume souq near the Qarawiyyin.
Henna souq
A tiny tree-shaded square selling henna, kohl and natural cosmetics.
Grand Rue de Fes el-Jdid
A local market street for clothing and household goods.
What to buy
Fes blue pottery
Blue-and-white plates, bowls and tagines from the Ain Nokbi workshops.
Leather goods
Bags, babouche slippers and poufs, dyed in the medina's tanneries.
Brass and copper
Lanterns, trays and teapots from Place Seffarine.
Argan oil and spices
Cosmetic and culinary argan oil, ras el hanout and saffron from the spice souq.
Woven textiles
Silk-style scarves and throws woven on hand looms in medina workshops.
Streets and markets worth a wander
Historic site · Fes el-Bali
Fes el-Bali medina
Founded in the 9th century and listed by UNESCO in 1981, Fes el-Bali is a dense walled city of souqs, fountains, mosques, funduqs and workshops, threaded by two main streets, Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira, that run downhill from Bab Bou Jeloud towards the Qarawiyyin.
- Time needed
- A full day
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Shopping
- Photo spot
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Historic site · Fes el-Bali
Chouara Tannery
The largest of the medina's tanneries is a honeycomb of stone vats where hides are soaked and dyed by hand, a process that has changed little in centuries.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Photo spot
- Kids
- Shopping
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Street · Fes el-Bali
Place Seffarine
A small triangular square shaded by a fig tree where coppersmiths hammer pots, cauldrons and trays by hand, the sound echoing off the walls.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Off the beaten path
- Photo spot
Experience · Outside Bab Ftouh
Ain Nokbi potters' quarter
East of the medina, the potteries of Ain Nokbi produce the blue-and-white Fes ceramics and zellij tiles seen all over Morocco; workshops show the whole process, from throwing and glazing to hand-cutting tiles.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
- Free
Food and drink to take home
Edible souvenirs travel best when they are dry or sealed: consider Mint tea and Moroccan pastries. Cafés, riads and carpet shops; ask for 'bla sukkar' for less sugar. Check your home country's rules on bringing food and drink back.
Shopping by neighbourhood
| Area | Price level | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Fes el-Bali | $$ | Riads deep in the medieval medina, among souqs and workshops |
| Batha and Bab Bou Jeloud | $$ | The medina's western edge, with taxi access and cafés by the Blue Gate |
| Bab Guissa and the northern hillside | $$$$ | Hillside hotels with panoramic views over the medina |
| Fes el-Jdid and the Mellah | $ | Royal Palace gates, the old Jewish quarter and a local market street |
Paying and bargaining
Prices are in MAD. Leave about 10% in restaurants, small coins for porters and handcart drivers who carry luggage, and a tip for licensed guides at the end of a tour.
- Bargaining is expected in the souqs; start well below the first price and stay good-humoured.
- Compare prices in several shops before buying leather or ceramics, and bargain politely.
When to shop
Shops and markets are quietest in January–February; the busiest months are the peak holidays.
- May: Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (usually late May or June)
- June: Fes Festival of World Sacred Music (usually late May or June)
- June: Sefrou Cherry Festival (usually June)
Staying near the shops
Questions travellers ask
+What should I buy in Fes?
Fes blue pottery, Leather goods, Brass and copper and Argan oil and spices.
+Where is the best shopping in Fes?
Talaa Kebira and Talaa Seghira: The medina's main streets for leather goods, babouches, lanterns and souvenirs.
+What are the best markets in Fes?
Souk el-Attarine, Henna souq and Grand Rue de Fes el-Jdid.